The devil may care (but I dont)
by HappyfFruit
Summary: Hinatas life has fallen apart. As she strives to find meaning and purpose a raven haired man from her past is there to help her along the way. While their circumstances are rocky and unlikely at first maybe there is a chance. Will she bloom and flourish or slip through the cracks yet again. Join her on her journey to redifine the meaning of the words family and maybe even love.


Hinata felt a fresh wave of tears come on as she looked at the gates behind her. Today had been the worst day of the young hyuuga's life. Her mind floated back to the days events.

It started as any other day. She awoke at her normal time. She was nervous however because she had a meeting with her father and the council. They wanted to talk to her about something important. She dressed in her usual outfit and made her way through the hyuuga compound to the council room.

Her father did not look pleased at her. The faces of the council members were bleak. She tried not to show her fear but it was blatantly obvious. She poked her fingers together. Her silly nervous habit. After an entirnity the hyuuga elder spoke.

"Hyuuga Hinata, in light of your recent failures to advance in your training your title as heiress is revoked. Moreover, you are disowned and not to take the hyuuga name any longer. You have one hour to vacate the property or you will be escorted out."

Hinata couldn't breathe. The pain in her chest was unfathomable. Tears were already making their way down her face as she turned and tore through the compound. Once she reached the street she didn't stop running. She ran and ran until she found herself at the old training ground. She crumpled into a heap as sobs wracked her body.

The next thing she knew someones hand was on her shoulder. She wildly turned to come face to face with naruto. The sight made her sob with renewed vigor. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Hinata-chan, whats wrong?" His voice sounded full of worry.

She sniffed a little regaining some control of herself. "I-I got D-d-disowned." She grimaced at her stutter.

Naruto frowned. "Screw those high and mighty hyuuga assholes. If you ask me you are better off without them!" He said with his usual fiery disposition.

Hinata gave a small smile. Naruto could always make her feel better. She looked at him now. His trademark goofy grin in place. It was then she noticed how close he was. His hand still on her shoulder. She realized then that she could easily kiss him. She steeled herself and with all the bravery she could muster she closed the gap in between them pressing her lips to his.

His lips were soft. It was everything she had imagined it to be. Fireworks exploded behind her eyes. In that moment her family didn't seem to matter. Nothing did. Just naruto. Until he pulled away. Hinatas eyes snapped open. The boy wore an expression akin to disgust. His features softened a bit before he spoke.

"Hinata-chan. My feelings belong to Sakura-chan." He said almost sounding guilty.

Before the boy could breathe another word she was gone. She thought she heard him calling after her but she didn't care. She had been a fool. In short, that is how she ended up where she was now. Bitter, sad, and hurt.

As new tears began spilling down her face she turned sharply away from the gate. There was nothing here for her anymore and it was time to start over. It didn't matter what happened to her in her mind. Just so long as it didn't happen here. She would probably die within the first week. She shoved that thought violently away, refusing to feel anymore self pity than she did already. With that she moved forward not stopping to look back.

The little kunoichi traveled for weeks. She allowed herself to be exposed to the harsh elements. She traveled all the way from konoha to somewhere in earth country before she stopped keeping track. If she had to guess she was somewhere near amegakure now judging by the unwavering rain.

As if on cue the large and metallic village came into view. Up until this point Hinata had been avoiding villiages but she quickly made up her mind to go in. She was too tired and weathered. She needed a warm bed and a good meal before she forgot how to be civilized.

It didn't take long for her to reach the gates and she quickly slipped in amongst the hustle and bustle. She pulled her jacket more tightly around her. The wet air was chilly at best and she found she could see her breath when she exhaled. She realized that she liked the dreary monochromatic village. The lights from the various shops and business gave it an almost warmth that reminded her of the days she spent piled under her comforter as rain slid down her bedroom window.

Under her breath she activated her byakugan. She searched the pockets of the man walking in front of her. He was blatantly a civilian, and quickly she found what she was looking for. She moved unnoticed through the crowd and with all the grace of a cat she swiped his coin pouch. The poor bastard had no idea.

She disactivated her jutsu. Hinata knew what she had done was wrong and she hated herself for it. But her growling stomach and freezing feet reminded her just how necessary it was. She hadn't been able to catch a meal in a few days and the constant drizzle made starting a fire hopeless.

Without further contemplation she ducked into a small restaurant. All the food on the menu sounded unfamiliar so she quickly picked the first thing. Her voice sounded strange and gruff from not using it. The man behind the counter gave no indication that he noticed however, and quickly began preparing her order.

Hinata almost didn't notice the man who sat down next to her. Any thought she might have given him was quickly forgotten when the shop keeper sat her food down in front of her. She was ravenous. She tried to eat with some manors but she just couldn't stop herself from scooping delicious meal into her mouth. It was the best tasting meal she had since she had been gone. She heard the man next to her chuckle and for the first time in a long time her cheeks flushed pink. It was when he spoke however, that the ex-heiress froze.

"Hyuuga Hinata, what are you doing here?" Came his smooth voice.

She whirled around to face him. When she got a look at him her brain almost didn't comprehend. Long dark hair, gleaming red eyes, there was no doubt about it. She was next to none other than uchiha Itachi. He chuckled again at the look of suprise on her face.

It took her a moment to recover from her shock. Once she had came back down to earth she sent him a trademark hyuuga glare. Something she no doubt picked up from her father.

"What do you want?" Her voice held no trace of fear.

He blinking in mild surprise. She was a far cry from the shaking stuttering heiress he remembered. Something had happened to her to bring on such a drastic change. From her petty thievery to her horrid table manors everything about her intrigued him. He felt a stab of pity for the girl although he would never admit it. Maybe if he took her back to base he could find out what caused this. It was too dangerous to let her roam around in a world full of murderers and s-class criminals. At the very least he could justify his actions to Pein by reasoning that she could fetch a hefty ransom and possibly hold some intel.

In one swift movement he brought his hand down on the back of her neck, effectively knocking the girl unconscious, and with fluid movements he caught her on the way down. The action gained them both a few curios glances but the akatsuki cloak he wore was enough to prevent anyone from saying anything. Shifting her weight to where he held her in one arm he left the appropriate amount of money on the counter and with that they were gone.

 **A/N hey guys. I know I should be working on my other story but I thought it might be nice to have something to be able to bounce back and forth. Ill look this over again in a bit with fresh eyes to correct any mistakes but I was so excited that I just had to post it! I hope you enjoyed reading it. I will update soon.**


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